The Prince and the Speedster
by Cherry Romancer
Summary: PG for swearing. This story is centered around my two favorite characters from the Archie comic series, Mina Mongoose and Elias Acorn. Watch the story from their first meeting to ______ r/r please!!!!
1. First Meeting

"The Prince and the Speedster"  
  
By: Cherry  
  
A/n: This is the first time I'll have ever written a Sonic story using the Knothole storyline. I'm begging you, please be gentle and please don't flame me.  
  
  
  
Mina Mongoose (A/n: For those who don't know, Mina's a character that's only found in Archie comics.) sat on the steps of the school, waiting for a certain friend of hers to come out. She'd had a thing for this certain friend for a while now and she was beginning to think that maybe he did too. She never let her hopes get carried away, but she clung onto a little bit of faith that he would ask her out one of these days.  
  
"Hi Mina!" came a familiar young voice.  
  
"Hey Tails!" Mina responded. "Have you seen Sonic anywhere?"  
  
"Sonic? He went to the royal palace," Tails answered.  
  
"He WHAT? He said he'd meet me after school!!!" Mina yelled.  
  
"He went to see the princess," Tails told her. "He doesn't get to see Sally much anymore because of the new rules that Prince Elias set."  
  
Mina barely heard him. She was fuming. This was the second time Sonic had done this to her. "Oh, forget it. He'll just hear about it from me on the phone later on," Mina grumbled. Tails heard her tone of voice and decided to make himself scarce.  
  
  
  
Later on, while Mina was doing her homework, she got a phone call. On the other end was Sonic.  
  
"Tails must have warned him to call me first," she thought. Then she yelled into the receiver, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO AFTER SCHOOL SONIC HEDGEHOG? THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU'VE DASHED OFF!!"  
  
"I'm sorry!! I'M SORRY!!!" Sonic yelled back to make his voice heard. "I got the notice last minute! I couldn't find you to cancel . . ."  
  
"Meanwhile, I tried my hand at controlling my speed without you and wound up hurting Tails, who was helping me!" Mina thundered.  
  
"What?" Sonic yelped. Mina heard voices in the background and knew that he was asking Tails about this. After a moment, Sonic's voice came back onto the phone. "Alright Mina, from now on, you aren't allowed to use your speed without me there."  
  
"WHAT? Who are you to. . ." Mina began. Sonic cut her off.  
  
"I'm your tutor, remember?" he said plainly. "I'm in charge of you when it comes to your speed. You'll have to do what I say."  
  
"But . . . I . . ." Mina stammered. Then her fuse blew. "AAAAAAUUUUUGH!!!!!" And she slammed down the phone and stormed out of her house.  
  
* * *  
  
"All I'm saying is that you should think about this rule that we have to be kept isolated from the rest of the kingdom," Sally pleaded with Elias.  
  
Elias secretly agreed with her, but because he was following advice from Geoffrey St. John, he decided that he'd better keep with the new arrangement.  
  
"Listen Sally, I know that you miss Sonic and your friends, but this is the way things would be anyway if we'd never had that war with Robotnick," Elias said firmly. "I understand that this is hard for you to get used to, but you're going to have to."  
  
"Oh, Elias, do you think that you have to do everything Geoffrey says?" Sally asked. She saw that she'd hit a nerve because Elias had flinched. "Listen, I know he's now the highest ranking official we have, but he wasn't raised to rule. If the truth be known, I'll bet that he's trying to keep me from Sonic so he can have a chance with me."  
  
At this, Elias laughed. "Sally, where'd you get that crazy idea?"  
  
Sally looked at her brother, who was sitting on his bed. She decided that she could trust him with the complete truth, so she didn't hold anything back. "Geoffrey has had a thing for me for a long time. I don't think he realizes that I've noticed. I know that you've noticed that he hates Sonic. It's because he's jealous of him. He wants to keep me apart from Sonic to try and weaken my feelings for him. That's why he suggested that the royal family become isolated."  
  
Elias stared at Sally for a moment, and then said, "Why on Mobius would Geoffrey sink that low?"  
  
"I just told you," Sally replied.  
  
Elias rubbed his head. "Then how do I know that any judgments made regarding Sonic were fair, especially considering the whole stolen Sword of Acorns business?" (A/n: To know what that's all about, you'd have to read the comic series.)  
  
"I don't know Elias," Sally responded sadly, sitting down next to him. "All I do know is that I think it would be a lot better if you tried to rule without taking advice from Geoffrey."  
  
"I think you're right Sally," Elias said, still rubbing his head. "Ugh. I need some fresh air. I'm going out for a while."  
  
"Okay. See you later," Sally said, leaving him alone. Elias got up and walked out of the palace, heading towards the park.  
  
* * *  
  
Mina had been so angry that she didn't pay attention to where she was going, but she now found herself in the park near the fountain, her favorite part of the park. She sat down on a bench next to someone.  
  
"I can't believe that Sonic," she complained. "Where does he get off telling me what to do after he blew off my speed control lesson? I really don't get why people think they can boss others around unfairly."  
  
"Sounds like you've got the same problem I do," said the guy sitting next to Mina. "I've been getting advice from someone who's apparently been very biased about everything. He tells me what to do, no matter how unfair, and I've been blindly following his advice."  
  
"Is the whole damn city in misery today then?" Mina asked bitterly, not realizing who was next to her.  
  
"No I think that it's just us two," responded the guy just as bitterly.  
  
Mina looked at him for the first time and realized that it was Prince Elias sitting next to her. She gasped. "Prince Elias!!! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it was you!" She quickly stood up and bowed.  
  
Elias got Mina back up, laughing his ass off. "It's okay! Really! I'm glad I ran into someone who understands what I've been going through." He laughed again. "Don't act so stiff. I haven't bee able to make a single friend since I became prince. It'd be nice to be friends with someone."  
  
Mina half-relaxed. "Are you serious? But, you seem like such a nice guy. How could you not have friends?"  
  
"Simple. I'm cut off from the outside world. Do you think that you could give me a chance to be your friend? I know this is out of the blue, but I really want and need a friend now and from the sound of it, you do too."  
  
Mina smiled. "Well, it could be cool to be friends with a prince. Okay Prince Elias. You can call me friend now. And I promise I won't go bragging to anyone if you don't want me to. It can be our little secret."  
  
"I'd like that a lot. What's your name by the way?"  
  
"Mina Mongoose." 


	2. For You, My New Friend

For My New Friend  
  
Chapter Two  
  
A/n: I haven't gotten any recent issues of Sonic, but I think that Mina's parents are back in Knothole. Either way, they're making an appearance in this chapter.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Mina woke up in a considerably better mood than she had been in the previous night. Sonic's standing her up ended up making her friends with Prince Elias.  
  
"Weird how some things work," she said to herself as she got out of bed and went to eat breakfast.  
  
Mina's now-roboticized parents were downstairs waiting for her. Mina's mother, Terry, gave her a critiquing look when she walked into the kitchen. This made Mina uncomfortable.  
  
"What is it Mama?" she asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"You got home late last night," Terry replied. "I just want to make sure you're okay, that's all."  
  
"Aw, Mama, I'm home ate almost every night now!" Mina cried.  
  
"And that's reason enough for your mother and I to worry," Mina's father, Jason, said. "You're out late every night doing who knows what?"  
  
"Trying to learn how to control my super speed with Sonic the Hedgehog!" Mina said in an exasperated tone. This wasn't the first time she'd tried to explain this to her parents.  
  
"True enough, but I heard your phone conversation last night," Terry said. "From the sound of it, you weren't having a lesson last night."  
  
"Oh . . . yeah . . . that . . . uh," Mina stammered. She indeed hadn't had a lesson last night. Her parents knew that too. Now Mina was in trouble. She'd promised Elias that she wouldn't say anything to anyone, including her parents. And anyway, even if she did tell them, she doubted t hey would believe her. Now Mina was stuck.  
  
"Um, I gotta go! I'm gonna be late for school!" she exclaimed suddenly. She was out the door half a minute later. (She had to run back in to grab her backpack, but she was off.)  
  
  
  
At school, Mina thought that at the very least she'd be free of suspicion and accusation.  
  
Wrong.  
  
Sonic met her right outside of class. He didn't look too thrilled with her. In fact, he looked so pissed off that Mina's heart sank as she walked towards him rather than rise like it usually did whenever she saw Sonic.  
  
"Hiya Sonic," she said casually. "What's up?"  
  
"My temper," Sonic responded. "What's wrong with you? You hung up on me last night for no damn reason! Why? You were the one who had the idea of me being your tutor! If I knew that you'd be such a bitch about stupid things like . . ."  
  
Mina cut him off. "You skipping out on my lessons twice without any warning? Where the hell do you get off calling me a bitch when I had all right and reason to be pissed off at you? I'm not the one who was being an asshole just because I wanted to see my girlfriend!!!" Mina thundered.  
  
"Asshole?? Excuse me, ASSHOLE??" Sonic roared. By then, several students had gathered to watch this argument, including Bunnie, Rotor, and Tails. "YOU KNOW DAMN WELL I HARDLY EVER GET TO SEE SALLY ANYMORE!!! WHERE DO I GET OFF CALLING YOU A BITCH?? THE QUESTION IS WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CALLING ME AN ASSHOLE??"  
  
"EXCUSE ME!!!" came a loud yell. Both of them turned sharply to see Tails standing there, looking a bit scared. Indeed, he spoke in a nervous tone. "I hate to break up this little love fest, but class is gonna start in a couple of minutes. Why don't you finish this discussion after school?" Tails didn't give them a chance to blow up at him. He turned and flew off, headed for class. The crowd around them began to disappear. Sonic and Mina glared at each other and walked into their classroom with Bunnie right behind them.  
  
* * *  
  
It was later in the day and Elias and Sally were just wrapping up their own lessons. After their class was over, Elias grabbed Sally by the arm and dragged her to his room, closing the door behind him.  
  
This did not please Sally. "This had better be good Elias. You nearly tore my arm out of the socket."  
  
"Believe me, it is," Elias said. "I really need your help with something."  
  
"What?" Sally asked, still irritated.  
  
"Well, yesterday when I went out, I made a new friend," Elias began. This caught his sister's interest noticeably, so he continued. "She was really nice to me and I want to give her a gift. Nothing fancy, just a simple gift."  
  
"So why do you need my help?" Sally asked, completely forgetting about her sore shoulder.  
  
"Well, she said she's met you once and I thought that maybe you'd have a basic idea of what her tastes are," Elias continued.  
  
Sally smirked at him. "Did you say 'she'?"  
  
"Yeah, and?" Elias countered.  
  
"Are you sure she's just a friend?" she teased.  
  
"I just met her last night!!!" Elias yelled, taking Sally seriously.  
  
"Hey, chill out! I was teasing you!" Sally responded swiftly. "Okay, okay. I'll help you out."  
  
"Great! Thanks!" he said.  
  
"Sure, what are sisters for?" Sally answered. "Whom are we getting this gift for?"  
  
"Mina Mongoose," Elias told her. (A/n: Whoopsie!)  
  
"MINA MONGOOSE???" Sally roared. "THAT'S YOUR NEW FRIEND???"  
  
"Whoa whoa whoa! What's the problem?" Elias asked.  
  
"That little prick is after my Sonic!" Sally yelled.  
  
"What?" Elias asked, totally bewildered.  
  
"She's after Sonic's heart," Sally repeated a little more calmly, realizing that Elias couldn't have known about this. "I saw the two of them together once. The way she looked at Sonic! If you'd seen it, you'd know why I'm so upset."  
  
Elias sighed. "Listen Sally, I can understand how that must be upsetting and everything, but she's the only friend I've got. Please. I can understand if you don't want to help me, but I'm begging you here. Please?"  
  
Sally glared at him. Elias had his hands clasped together in a true effort of begging. She suddenly burst out laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked.  
  
"You!" she laughed back. "You look so ridiculous!!" Sally calmed herself down and looked him right in the eye. Seeing that Elias was being sincere, she smiled. "Alright. I'll help you Elias. I don't know why, but I'll help you."  
  
Elias grinned at her. "Thank you Sally!" He gave her a huge hug, which she happily returned.  
  
* * *  
  
After school, Mina, Sonic, Rotor, Bunnie, and Tails met at Sonic's place. Luckily, Jules and Bernie were out, so they didn't have to explain anything to them. Bunnie took a deep breath and began talking.  
  
"Alright, here are the rules," she said calmly. "First, we hear Sonic's side to the story without interruption, then we hear Mina's, and then we all talk about it."  
  
"You first Sonic," Rotor said.  
  
"Well, I'll admit that it wasn't the best thing on Mobius for me to do when I ran off to see Sally without telling Mina. I understand how she could be angry with me about that since I wad supposed to be helping her with her super speed. But still, for her to hang up on me last night for no apparent reason and . . ."  
  
"NO REASON??" Mina screamed.  
  
"It's not your turn Mina," Tails said calmly.  
  
Mina "hmphed," but shut up after that.  
  
"Sonic?" Rotor prompted.  
  
"Like I was saying," Sonic continued, "She hung up on me for no apparent reason when I was telling her not to use her speed without me around because she'd hurt Tails accidentally. I don't know why she did that. That's why I got angry at her."  
  
"Are ya finished sugah-hog?" Bunnie asked. (A/n: In that cute little accent too! I love that accent!)  
  
"Yeah," Sonic answered.  
  
Rotor looked at Mina. "It's your turn now Mina."  
  
"Well, it's like Sonic told you, he ran off to see Princess Sally without letting me know," Mina began. "I got pretty mad at him because that was the second time he did that, so when he called me later, I was more or less ready to blow. In fact, I did blow while I was talking to him. Sonic chose a REALLY bad time to start laying down rules with me. He'd taken off without warning and because Tails felt bad about it and tried to help me, he got hurt! Not badly, mind you, but still! I think that Sonic went way past outta line when he started to lay down rules right then and there. If he'd waited until morning, this wouldn't even be happening."  
  
"Well, actually, I hate to say this, but I can't help but agree with Mina," Rotor said. "From the sound of it, you did pick a bad time to start with rules Sonic, especially given Mina's temper."  
  
"Hey!" Mina yelped.  
  
"Well, ya can't argue with logic like that," Bunnie agreed.  
  
"Sonic, I really hate to say this, but I agree with Mina too," Tails said. "You really should have waited to give her new rules."  
  
"Well, thinking back, maybe it wasn't such a great idea," Sonic admitted slowly. "Okay, I was wrong here. I'm sorry Mina."  
  
"I'm sorry too," Mina said. "Even though you picked the bad time, I could have tried to keep my temper in check."  
  
"Forgiven?" Sonic asked, holding out his hand.  
  
"Forgotten!" Mina responded, taking his hand and shaking it, then pulling him into a hug. Sonic hugged her back.  
  
The others came over and joined the hug. "Well, I'm glad that's over and done with!" Tails said. "You two really can get scary when you fight!"  
  
"Yeah! Now, Ah think we've got homework to do?" Bunnie said.  
  
  
  
Later on that day, when Mina had gotten home, her parents greeted her with a strange look on their faces.  
  
"Mina, you got a package today," Terry said.  
  
"Really? Who from?" Mina asked.  
  
"F-from the P-Prince!" Jason stuttered.  
  
Mina smiled. "From the Prince? I'm honored! It must be a thank you for when I brought the medicine to Queen Alicia that saved her life."  
  
Mina took the small parcel from her mother's hands and went back to her room. She smiled thoughtfully. "What's could Prince Elias have gotten me?" she thought.  
  
Mina ripped the package open. It turned out to be a new pair of gloves, the ones she had seen in a store window and wanted so badly.  
  
"Wow. Thank you Prince Elias," she whispered, still smiling. "I'll find something to give you too. I promise." 


	3. Busted

Busted  
  
Chapter Three  
  
  
  
"Do you really think she'll like those gloves?" Elias asked Sally.  
  
"Yes, I do," Sally answered. "They were a lot like the gloves she always wears. I'll bet she loves them."  
  
Elias just hoped that Sally was right. After all, Mina was his only friend. He wanted to make a good impression on her.  
  
"Maybe I should go see her later today," Elias muttered.  
  
"Jeez, Elias, you're really stressing over Mina, aren't you?" Sally asked.  
  
"Yeah. I can't figure out why though," Elias said. "It's not like I haven't had any friends before. Back before I came here, I had a lot of friends."  
  
"Yes, but were any of them female?"  
  
Elias had to pause and think about this. He couldn't think of one friend he'd had that was a girl.  
  
"I don't think so," Elias responded. "Wow. Maybe that's why I'm so uptight. I just don't know how to act around women."  
  
"I could have told you that," Sally remarked.  
  
"Can it," Elias snapped back, leaving the room.  
  
* * *  
  
"Where'd you get the new gloves Mina?" Tails asked her the next day.  
  
Mina hesitated, and then said, "From a new friend."  
  
Tails caught the hesitation and smirked. "From a 'new friend' huh? What's this 'new friend' like?"  
  
Mina caught the tone in his voice. She frowned at Tails. "He's not a boyfriend you know."  
  
"Tell it to the judge," Tails replied before running ahead. Mina grimaced at his retreating form.  
  
"He's just lucky that I'm busy today," she thought. "Since it's Saturday and there's no school, I'll have the whole day to go shopping. I'm probably going to need it. I have no idea what to get for Prince Elias. I have no idea what he likes."  
  
Mina headed towards the newly constructed mall. She had a lot of work to do that day. She was bound and determined to find Elias a cool present like the gloves she'd gotten from him the day before. Unlike Elias, though, Mina was entirely on her own as far as choosing what he may like. She couldn't go ask anyone for help because of her promise.  
  
"Well, I better get to it," Mina said to herself. With that, she began her window-shopping.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Tails wandered around the city, completely bored. Sonic had gotten a really bad mark on his report card and was now seeing a tutor on Saturdays, leaving Tails with absolutely nothing to do. There was no reason to work on the Tornado since it was more than likely he'd never fly it again, Bunnie and Rotor were off somewhere with Antoine, and Sally was off limits nowadays. He hadn't made any friends yet in class, so he was on his own.  
  
After about an hour of just wandering pointlessly, he decided that maybe he'd go to the mall. At least there was an arcade there. He could keep himself busy until he ran out of money. Plan in mind, he headed towards the mall.  
  
When he got there, he stopped in his tracks. Right there in front of him was Prince Elias! What was he doing out of the palace? Tails, with his endless curiosity, decided that he had to find out, so he caught up with the prince, startling him.  
  
"Tails? What are you doing here?" Elias asked.  
  
"I'm the one who should be asking that question," Tails countered. "What the heck are out doing out of the palace?"  
  
"Well . . . I'm . . . uh . . ." Elias stammered. Sighing, he said, "If you must know, I'm looking for a friend."  
  
"Huh?" Tails asked. As far as he knew, Elias didn't have any friends.  
  
"I went to her house, but her parents said she was at the mall. I decided to try and find her here," Elias explained.  
  
"She?" Tails asked. "A girlfriend?"  
  
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Elias blurted out.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh nothing," Elias replied, calming down. "It's just that Sally had the same thing to say when I told her."  
  
"Oh, I see," Tails responded. "So, who's your friend? Maybe I can help you find her."  
  
"No thanks," Elias said. "I'd rather not."  
  
Before Tails could ask, Elias was on his way. Tails began to think. Elias had a new friend, a girl. Mina had a new friend, a boy. He began to wonder if . . . being a naturally curious kid, Tails decided to get to the bottom of this.  
  
* * *  
  
"No, this won't do either," Mina grumped. She'd been in five different stores already and was finding nothing good enough for the prince.  
  
"Come on, THINK!" Mina thought. "What would Prince Elias like?"  
  
Then she realized something. She couldn't do this. She didn't know what Elias's tastes were like. He'd probably had Princess Sally help him with his shopping. Sally had a basic idea of what Mina liked. Mina, on the other hand, had no help whatsoever and she didn't know him at all.  
  
Oh well. She'd tried. She couldn't do it. She felt really bad about giving up, but there was no way she could get him a gift that she knew he'd like. Mina turned and left the store.  
  
"HEY! WAIT UP THERE!"  
  
Mina turned around. Coming up behind her was Elias.  
  
"Prince Elias?" she exclaimed.  
  
He caught up with her and said, "Hiya. I was looking for you."  
  
"You were?" Mina asked, honestly surprised.  
  
"Well, sure. I mean you are my friend. I came out here today just to see you."  
  
Mina felt flattered by his words. She could feel herself blushing. "Thank you Prince Elias."  
  
"AHA!"  
  
Elias and Mina turned around sharply. Tails was standing right there, watching them.  
  
"Tails?" Elias yelped.  
  
"Where'd you come from?" Mina asked, irritated.  
  
"I was just finding out what was so important that Prince Elias would leave the palace," Tails responded. "Well, I guess I should say who rather than what." He smirked wickedly.  
  
Elias and Mina felt like Robotnick had just sat on them. They were busted. And not even two days after they'd become friends.  
  
Tails noticed their worry and laughed. "Don't sweat it! If you don't want anyone to know yet, then I won't tell. You're just lucky that no one ever comes near this shop, or else you'd be busted big time! If you want to keep this a secret, you'd better figure out a way to arrange meetings without anyone finding out."  
  
After saying this, Tails turned to leave. Elias and Mina looked at each other, and then Elias said, "Tails! Wait!"  
  
Tails stopped. "Yes?"  
  
"Do you think you could help us out here? We have no way of contacting each other without others knowing. If you could, say, fly messages between us . . ." Elias let the sentence trail off, looking at Tails pleadingly.  
  
Tails smiled. "Sure. No problem."  
  
Mina laughed. "We're lucky you're such a nice guy Tails." 


	4. New Arrangements and Feelings

"New Arrangements and Feelings"  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
  
"I can't believe that we haven't been caught yet. It's been two months," Mina said while she was hanging out with Elias one night.  
  
"Tell me about it," Elias agreed. "It's kinda weird, but really cool that Tails has been able to find us clear areas to hang out." Mina didn't respond. "Mina?"  
  
"Why are we hiding the fact that we're friends?" Mina asked.  
  
Elias blinked. "What?"  
  
"If we were seeing each other, that would be one thing, but we're not," Mina continued. "I just feel weird keeping secrets from my friends. I've been thinking lately, what harm could it do to have someone other than Princess Sally and Tails know about our friendship."  
  
"Well, to be honest, I never really thought about it," Elias replied. "See, I remember why I asked you to keep it a secret in the first place, I was afraid of you bragging and taking advantage of the fact that we're friends, but thinking about it, I don't really see a reason for us to keep on hiding our friendship anymore."  
  
Mina looked at the prince thoughtfully. "Hey, Prince Elias?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How about we stop hiding? If anyone asks where we've been, we tell them the truth if we were hanging out together."  
  
"Yeah, I like that idea," Elias said. "I've had a lot of close calls. The only reason I stayed out of trouble was because of Sally. Being honest would be a lot better."  
  
"Also, it would make it a lot easier for us to meet and hang out," Mina said. "We won't have to worry about getting caught or anything. Lord knows how much easier that would make life for Tails. We've had the poor boy stressed out."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I've felt bad about that."  
  
"Ditto. Well, are we in agreement?" Mina held out her hand.  
  
Elias stifled a laugh as he took her hand. "Little lady, we've got ourselves a new arrangement."  
  
* * *  
  
"You decided to what?" Sally asked Elias later.  
  
"Stop hiding. I mean, it's not like we're doing anything illegal. I changed that rule about the royal family not being a part of the rest of the kingdom." Elias smirked, remembering the pissed off look on Geoffrey St. John's face when he'd made the change.  
  
Sally was obviously remembering too, because she had to refrain from laughing. "Well, I guess you're not, but won't it be considered weird that your only friend is a girl?"  
  
"Who cares?"  
  
"Fair enough." Sally shrugged. "If you don't care, maybe you should go explain to our parents where you were tonight."  
  
Something in the way Sally said that made Elias nervous. "What happened?"  
  
"When Mom and Dad came to get you for our royal counsel, they flipped out when they saw you gone. Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through calming them down?"  
  
The royal counsel!!! Elias had forgotten all about it. They were supposed to meet that night to discuss the new set of rules for Knothole. Even worse, Elias himself had been the one to set the date for it. Whenever he got word that he had a chance to meet with Mina, everything else seemed to fly out of the window.  
  
"Damn it, I forgot all about the counsel!" Elias grumbled.  
  
"Like you always seem to do whenever you have a chance to go meet Mina," Sally remarked. "Elias . . . what is going on with you lately? You're not cut out to be ruler of Knothole, you and I both know that, but you've never shirked your responsibilities before. What's really going on between you and Mina?"  
  
Elias glared at her. He knew what she was hinting at. "Absolutely nothing more than what I tell you about. Mina and I are just friends, nothing more, nothing less." Elias stopped when he saw that Sally was being completely serious. She wasn't picking on him like she seemed to have made a habit of since he became friends with Mina.  
  
Sally sighed. "Okay, nothing's going on between you, I understand that. But Elias, I want you to be completely honest with me. I promise I won't tell a soul, but you need to be honest with me. What exactly do you feel for that mongoose?"  
  
Elias regarded her with some surprise but then began to seriously think about Mina. When he'd met her, he'd barely known anything about her, but he still thought she was cool. He wasn't sure why he'd asked her to be his friend that night, but it was like something was drawing him to her. Since then, he'd been growing fonder of Mina every time he saw her. Hell, he became fonder of Mina whenever he thought about her. In his opinion, Mina was like no one else. She was very easily the sweetest person he'd ever met, not to mention one of the most caring, and she was very smart, clever, and she was quick-witted.  
  
Elias's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Sally, I think I've fallen in love with Mina."  
  
Sally didn't seem the least bit surprised. "I thought as much, considering how you've been behaving lately and the way you talk about her."  
  
"Oh no, what am I going to do?" Elias whispered.  
  
"What do you mean, 'Oh no?'" Sally asked.  
  
"Sally, she told me two days ago that she's still hoping that Sonic will ask her out soon," Elias explained. "In other words, she's still head over heels for Sonic."  
  
"No wonder you came home upset that night," Sally commented. "I'm not sure what to tell you. I've only ever loved one person, and he loves me right back. I don't know how to handle this situation Elias."  
  
Elias sighed. "Actually, even if you did know what to do, I'm not sure Id want to hear it."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I've been too dependent on you Sally, and this is something I really ought to deal with on my own. I may not make a choice right away, but at least when I do make that choice, I'll have reached it myself. For once, I'm going to follow my own heart and not listen to the words of others." 


	5. New Friends

"New Friends"  
  
Chapter Five  
  
  
  
"Ah can't believe that ya've been friends with the prince all this time an' ya didn't say anythin' about it," Bunnie said to Mina the next day.  
  
"Well, I promised Prince Elias that I'd keep it a secret," Mina explained. "After all, if I'd said anything, it would have seemed like I was bragging."  
  
"Hmm, good point," Rotor said.  
  
"Well, I find it even more unbelievable that Tails was able to keep this a secret," Sonic remarked.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" the young fox demanded.  
  
"Well, you do have a hard time keeping your mouth closed about anyth. . . YEOWCH!" Tails had kicked Sonic's leg. Sonic gave him a nasty look in return. Mina, Bunnie, and Rotor laughed at them.  
  
"Anyway, I was thinking that maybe you guys could come hang out with us," Mina continued.  
  
"Really? When?" Rotor asked.  
  
"Well, he called me last night and asked if I'd meet him today at the mall at about one. What'd'ya say?"  
  
"Ah'm in!" Bunnie cried immediately.  
  
"Ditto!" Rotor said.  
  
"So am I," Tails added.  
  
"Me too!" Sonic agreed.  
  
"Great!" Mina said. "I'm glad that you guys are gonna come! Prince Elias doesn't have any friends besides me. It'd be great if you guys would try and be friends with him too!"  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
At the mall, Elias is sitting at a table in the food court. He looks nervous about something.  
  
"Okay, I tell her today," Elias muttered to himself. "I can't take this. I have to at least let her know how I feel, even if she doesn't feel the same way."  
  
"HEY! PRINCE ELIAS!" came Mina's voice.  
  
"Mina!" he yelped, standing up and turning around to meet her. His face fell when he saw that she'd invited her friends. Now he wouldn't have the opportunity to talk to Mina alone.  
  
"Hi," he said in a slightly forced cheerful tone. Mina was the only one who caught it, but she let it drop for the moment.  
  
"Well, I'm sure you know who the Freedom Fighters are, so I don't need to introduce anyone!" she said brightly. "So, what should we do first?"  
  
"Arcade!" Sonic cried.  
  
"Electronics shop!" Tails suggested.  
  
"Clothes store!" Bunnie put in.  
  
"Tool shop!" Rotor said.  
  
"Sports goods!" Mina said.  
  
"Sports goods!" Elias agreed.  
  
Everyone laughed, as they'd all yelled their suggestions at the same time.  
  
"Ah heard two people say 'sports goods'," Bunnie said. "Ah guess since that's the only thing that got more than one vote that's where we're going."  
  
"Alright!" Mina and Elias yelled. They looked at each other and everyone laughed again. They all headed towards the Sports 'N' Stuff store. (A/n: I made that store up, but if it really exists, forgive me for using it.)  
  
"Look at this! Hey Sonic, check these out!" Tails called eagerly when they got to the store.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Check out these in-line skates!"  
  
"Why would you need them," Rotor asked. "You can fly."  
  
"I like to roller blade too!" Tails responded.  
  
"Are there any here in my size?" Elias asked. Everyone except Mina looked at him. She laughed as he explained, "I used to love to blade. It was one of my favorite things to do before I came to live in Knothole." (A/n: Please, if anyone knows where Elias lived before he came to Knothole, tell me! I can't for the life of me remember.)  
  
"Wow, cool!" Tails said. "What's your size?"  
  
"10."  
  
"There's some over here," Bunnie said, beckoning Elias to come over to where she was standing.  
  
"Great!" Elias went over.  
  
"Oh, too cool!" Mina cried. "Check out these skateboards!"  
  
"Skateboards?" Sonic asked, coming over. "Whoa, these look pretty sweet!"  
  
"They're prefect for grinding rails!" Mina said.  
  
"What, you're a street boarder?" Elias asked, coming over.  
  
"Sure am!" Mina replied cheerfully. "I need a new board too! My other one's getting kinda old."  
  
"Hmm, maybe I could try skateboarding," Elias said thoughtfully.  
  
"Really?" Rotor asked.  
  
"Why?" Bunnie asked.  
  
"Just because I need a change in my life," he explained. "Let's pay for all this stuff."  
  
Once they were done there, they headed for the tool shop, then the clothes store, and then the electronics store. Elias was having a great time and was really getting along with the Freedom Fighters, which Mina was happy to see. Honestly, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable around Prince Elias. He always wanted to hang out with her, and it was beginning to make her uneasy. At least it was understandable, seeing as he had no other friends. Now he had lots of friends and would need to hang out with only her.  
  
Once they finished at the electronics store, they headed for the arcade, where Elias whomped Sonic at a racing game (20 times; Sonic kept on asking for a rematch), and then they decided that they should call it a day.  
  
"This was really great! I'm glad you guys came," Elias said as they were leaving.  
  
"I'm glad we did too," Sonic admitted. "I've finally met someone who's better at me in a racing game!"  
  
Everyone laughed, then Bunnie said, "We've gotta do this again sometime."  
  
"Yeah, but it'll have to wait," Elias said sadly. "I've got a lot of stuff to do at the palace and it'll take a couple of days at least."  
  
"Why not just call me when you have some free time and then I'll let everyone know?" Mina suggested.  
  
"Brilliant!" Rotor commented. "How do you come up with your brilliant ideas Miss Mongoose?"  
  
Everyone except Mina laughed. She simply stuck her tongue out at Rotor.  
  
"Well, anyway, yeah, sounds like a plan," Elias said after recovering from his laughter. "I better get going. See ya!"  
  
"'Kay! See ya!" Bunnie called as the others turned the opposite direction as Elias.  
  
"Hold on a second Prince Elias," Mina said, grabbing his arm gently. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
Elias, who froze for a second upon hearing this, answered a bit unsteadily, "Y-yeah sure. No problem."  
  
"I'll catch up with you guys in a minute!" Mina called. She then turned to Elias and asked, "Prince Elias, why were you acting upset earlier today?"  
  
"What? What do you mean?" he asked.  
  
"When I got here with the others," Mina explained. "You looked disappointed that I was there with friends. What's the deal?"  
  
Elias didn't answer. He had two options; lie to her or tell her the reason he was upset. By that point, Elias decided that he was too afraid to tell her how he felt, so he said, "Well, I guess I was just surprised to see that you weren't there alone. Usually you come with only Tails if anybody at all. It just caught me off guard."  
  
Luckily for the prince, Mina was pretty slow on the uptake. "Well, okay, that's understandable. I'm sorry I did that without telling you." Mina smiled and hugged him. "See ya when I see ya!" She turned and ran at top speed (A/n: And I mean TOP speed.) to catch up with her friends.  
  
Elias stood rooted where he stood. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Mina Mongoose, the girl he'd fallen in love with, had just given him a hug. She'd never done that before. It took him about ten minutes to recover from that and even then, he could only move stiffly as he walked home. 


	6. School Days

"School Days"  
  
Chapter Six  
  
"OH NO!!!!! I'M LATE!!! LAAAAAATE!!!!!" Mina screamed as she ran through the street on her way to school. She'd overslept again! Now she was going to get detention again! She absolutely could not believe her luck. She got to school, ran through the hallways, and burst into class.  
  
"You're late again Miss Mongoose," said their new teacher Mr. Farquad.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Farquad," Mina apologized.  
  
"Detention after school tomorrow," he said simply, turning back to the chalkboard.  
  
"Damn him," Mina swore under her breath as she took her seat.  
  
"Alarm didn' go off again?" Bunnie asked.  
  
"Right in one," Mina grumbled. "I don't get it. I think I need to get my alarm clock fixed."  
  
There was a knock on the door. Mr. Farquad smiled and looked up. "Come on in," he said cheerfully. "Class we have a new student."  
  
Whispers filled the classroom immediately.  
  
"Who is this gonna be?"  
  
"Wonder if it's a guy or girl?"  
  
"Wonder if she's single?"  
  
"Wonder if he's single?"  
  
At a harsh look from Mr. Farquad, the class shut up. He then turned to the student, who was still out in the hallway, and motioned that student inside. She was about average height, had reddish-brown hair, and was wearing nothing but a blue vest and a pair of blue boots.  
  
"Sally!" Sonic yelped.  
  
"Sonic!" Sally replied in just as surprised a tone.  
  
"Um, well, yes, this is Princess Sally Acorn," Mr. Farquad said. "She and Prince Elias have decided to join us at this school."  
  
"Prince Elias is here too?" Mina thought.  
  
"Hmm, now, where can we put you? Oh, there that seat right behind Ms Rabbot."  
  
Sally sat down behind Bunnie, who immediately turned around and said, "Ah gotta know, what brought about this pleasant change Sal?"  
  
"Well, Elias decided that we were living too much like prince and princess, and I happened to agree with him," Sally explained. "We wanted to be able to see more of our friends and get to know other kids our own age, so we thought that going to public school was a good idea."  
  
"Ahem," came the teacher's voice. "I know that you're the princess and all, but as long as you're in school, you will follow the rules just like everyone else. No talking during the lesson." He turned around again and continued his lecture while writing more notes.  
  
Sally flipped him off and muttered under her breath, "Asshole."  
  
Sonic snickered. "Two minutes and you're already a true high schooler."  
  
* * *  
  
"Ugh. This is supposed to be food?" Elias complained as he and Rotor sat down to lunch later.  
  
"More or less," Rotor answered, wrinkling his nose. "This is why most people bring their own food."  
  
"I can see that," Elias agreed, tentatively poking his "chicken parmesan."  
  
"Hey guys!" Sonic called.  
  
Rotor and Elias looked up. Sally, Sonic, Tails, Bunnie, and Mina coming towards them. They all sat down and, looking at their lunches, said at the exact same time, "Wish I'd brought my lunch," after which they laughed.  
  
"How're ya doin' in school?" Bunnie asked.  
  
Elias's head hit the table. "I'm already starting to miss private lessons," he grumped.  
  
Mina looked at Rotor, who was shaking his head. E looked up and said, "He's in my class. You know, the one with the ogre, Ms. Trebly."  
  
"Oh, no wonder," Mina remarked.  
  
"From the second I sat down, she was on my case," Elias complained. "She seems to think that I think I'm better than everyone since I just happen to be the prince. I didn't even do anything to imply that. I just raised my hand to answer a question she asked and it was like, `You put your hand down your Royalness! I'm not having you show off in my class just because you're one of the royal family! If you want attention like that, go back to private lessons!' I had to bite my tongue, literally, to keep from responding."  
  
"Good lord, that's what your teacher's like?" Sally exclaimed.  
  
"She substituted for our class once and believe me, once was way past more than enough!" Sonic said.  
  
"No foolin'," Bunnie agreed. "She's a nightmare! Ah hope Ah ain't in her class when Ah get older."  
  
"Whoa, it sounds like she's a Mobian Robuttnick," Tails commented.  
  
"She is," Rotor said. "Or, she might as well be."  
  
"Sheesh! And to top this pleasant conversation off, we all have to eat the delectable school lunch," Mina groaned.  
  
"Yeah," Elias replied. "This is turning out to be one sucky first day of school for me."  
  
"Just be glad you're not in Mrs. Appleby's class," Tails said as he scooped up a forkful of what was supposed to be mashed potatoes. (A/n: Then, why was the crud brown?)  
  
* * *  
  
"Not exactly what you expected is it?" Sally asked Elias as they headed home from school.  
  
"Not at all," Elias said. He sighed. "Well, I guess once we get used to this, things won't be so bad. I still say this is a good way for me to get closer to Mina."  
  
Sally laughed and her brother blushed. "You are one lovesick pup!" 


	7. A Plan

"A Plan"  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"Homework, homework, and more homework," Elias complained. "And I don't understand half of it!"  
  
"Chill out Elias," Tails said. "That's why we made this study group, isn't it?"  
  
It was after school about two weeks after Sally and Elias began. Elias was having a really difficult time, as was Sally, Bunnie, and Sonic, so they decided to form a kind of study group to do their homework together. They met at Sonic's house usually. (A/n: If anyone needs a good visual for this and you've seen Sailor Moon S, use that.)  
  
"I'm not sure it's helping me at all," he moaned again.  
  
"You always say that, but then you find tests really easy," Rotor remarked, causing Elias to scowl at him.  
  
"Traitor. I just wanted a reason to complain."  
  
Mina laughed. "Prince Elias, you are truly a teenager now."  
  
Elias simply gave her a sidelong glance and got back to his homework. Suddenly, Sally leaped up. She had been working on a math problem and was being timed by Tails.  
  
"YES! I did it!" Sally cried excitedly. "I worked the problem the entire way through!"  
  
"Great job Sal!" Sonic said. "That's gotta be your fastest time!"  
  
"Ah think that you're getting' better!" Bunnie said.  
  
"Yeah! I'm definitely getting better at this!" Sally cried.  
  
"Hold it," Mina yelled. Sally looked at her and found her going over the problem. "That's your fastest time ever, that's for sure, but your answer is . . . totally wrong. Sorry."  
  
"Wrong? I'm wrong! I'll never get this!" Sally sat back down hard.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Tails encouraged her. "At least you worked the problem the entire way through this time."  
  
"Yeah Sally. That means you're closer to accomplishing your goal," Rotor added.  
  
Sally sighed. "Okay, I'll try again." She got right back to work on the same problem.  
  
"Gah! I can't figure this out!" Sonic groaned. "Mina, HELP!"  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Mina laughed. As she went over to help her hedgehog friend, Elias was overcome with a strong wave of envy. He wished that he were in Mina's grade so he could ask her for help. Unfortunately, he was older and in an upper grade, so Mina wouldn't understand any of his work.  
  
The envy must have shown on his face, because he soon realized that Tails was smirking at him. "What?" he asked.  
  
Tails laughed. "You know, if you don't want Mina to find out that you like her yet, you shouldn't be so obvious," Tails whispered.  
  
Elias turned a fierce red. (A/n: Shy, isn't he?) "Tails, could I talk to you please?" he said through gritted teeth. Tails followed him outside the room. "Are you nuts? She might have heard you! And how do you know that I like her?"  
  
"Well, like I said, you shouldn't be so obvious," Tails replied wistfully. "You always stare at her when you think no one's looking, you're always doing everything you can to spend time with her, and you always look jealous when she's with Sonic."  
  
Elias cursed the fact that the young two-tailed fox was so intelligent. "Well, what do you think I should do, smart guy?" he asked scathingly.  
  
Tails thought for a minute, and then got an idea. "Why not ask her to the dance that's coming up at the end of the week?"  
  
"Ask her to the dance?" Elias was stunned. "She'll say no! I know that! She's waiting for Sonic to ask her!"  
  
"Well, we both know that's not gonna happen, so why not ask her if you can be her back-up date? She really wants to go to the dance and she'll look like a dork if she goes alone. This way, it'll look like you're only doing her a favor as a friend and you'll get to take her out."  
  
Elias blinked. That was it. That was perfect! It was so simple he hadn't seen it. Whereas he had been cursing Tails intelligence a minute ago, now he was thanking the Ancient Walkers that Tails was so bright.  
  
"You know something Tails? You're a bright kid," Elias said. Tails just laughed and went back into the study room.  
  
If he hadn't have been so distracted by thoughts of this plan, he'd have realized Tails was up to something. 


	8. Before the Dance

"Before the Dance"  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
  
  
It was Wednesday before Elias could work up the nerve to ask Mina. He approached her during lunch, shaking from head to toe, but resolved to ask her. (A/n: Also, Tails wasn't giving him peace about it, so that could be another reason.)  
  
"Hey, Mina?" he called to her.  
  
"What's up Prince Elias?" Mina answered.  
  
Elias swallowed hard. *Don't be nervous. * He told himself. Still afraid, he said, "Listen I was thinking. If no one asks you to the dance this weekend, do you want to go with me?"  
  
Mina blinked and looked at him funny. For a moment, Elias thought that she was going to start laughing, but then she gave him the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face.  
  
"Why only as a last resort? If you want to take me to the dance, then you can take me to the dance!" she squealed.  
  
Elias was in shock. He hadn't expected that, but he definitely liked it. He gave her a wide grin of his own. "Sure, since you insist!" he answered.  
  
"Elias!" someone from across the lunchroom called.  
  
"Aw, damn," Elias muttered. "See ya later Mina." He rushed off.  
  
Mina smiled. She wasn't sure why, but somehow she felt like she'd gotten a better date than Sonic. Somewhere in her heart, she'd wanted to go to the dance with Prince Elias.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Tails watched as Mina went to sit with Sonic and Bunnie. He was sitting alone at another table. He wanted to make sure that he had the space and quiet (A/n: Well, as quiet as it ever gets in a cafeteria.) he needed to figure out how to launch his plan subtly. Of course, he wasn't alone on this. He'd told Sonic about the set-up as soon as Elias and Mina left that afternoon, and Sonic had called Sally, Sally had called Bunnie, etc. (A/n: Let's all play telephone!) They were of course all too willing to help. Sonic, because Mina would be off his case, Sally, because Mina would be off Sonic's case, Bunnie, and Rotor because they thought they'd make a great couple.  
  
Tails laughed a bit at the scene that had just taken place. He had guessed right about those two. It seemed Mina was starting to feel the same way about the prince.  
  
"It's just a matter of gentle pushing," Tails muttered to himself as he looked at his lunch. He grimaced. "Ugh. Where do they get these cooks that can only do mutated food?"  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
On Thursday, Sally and Elias went to do some shopping for the dance. Being royalty, they had dressy clothes, but it all looked so regal that they felt as though they should shop for something more down to Mobius. They headed for the mall.  
  
"Elias, come look at this dress," Sally said in one store. She was wearing a midnight blue dress that ended in a miniskirt and had long sleeves. It looked quite beautiful on her and Elias told her so.  
  
"You think so?" Sally asked. "I was worried that it was too dressy."  
  
Elias laughed. "You're sounding like Bunnie."  
  
Sally glowered at him, then smirked. "I am, aren't I?" she admitted.  
  
"You sure are Sal," came a familiar voice from behind them. They turned to see Sonic and Tails standing there, smiling. Sally made a face as Sonic added, "Except she worries about being under dressy."  
  
After he recovered from his laughter, Tails said, "Sonic, give Sally a break! She's used to just wearing her blue vest and boots!"  
  
Sally, who had disappeared into the dressing room when they started laughing, mow reappeared with the dress in her arms. She handed it to Elias.  
  
"Go pay for this stuff, will ya?" she said. Elias nodded and walked off. As soon as he was gone, Sally came over to Tails and asked, "Are you guys ready for Saturday?"  
  
"Sure am," Tails said.  
  
"So are Bunnie and Rotor," Sonic added. "And Antoine," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"Antoine? Who told him?" Sally asked.  
  
"Oh, come on," Tails responded. "Did you expect Bunnie to keep this from him?"  
  
"Good point," Sally said. "Well, Elias still doesn't know, so we're in good shape. We'll execute 'Plan Mina-and-Elias' at the dance."  
  
"Aye aye!" Sonic and Tails said. 


	9. At The Dance

"At the Dance"  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
  
  
Elias, Sonic, and Sally were walking to Mina's house. It was the big night; Dance Night. Sally and Sonic were just fine, but Elias was practically walking on pins and needles. Halfway there, he turned around and tried to go home. Luckily they caught him by his elbows and dragged him the rest of the way there.  
  
"You'll see Elias," Sally reassured him. "This'll be the best thing you've ever done. Trust me!"  
  
"Without a doubt Elias, this dance will be way past cool!" Sonic said. "I mean, come on, you're going with Mina, and you, like, totally dig her, right?"  
  
Elias stopped dead. He didn't think anyone besides Tails had seen through him. "How'd you know?"  
  
"Well, duh, you stare at her all the time," Sally said. "Do you think Tails was the only one who noticed? And besides, I knew from the time you realized how you felt about her."  
  
Elias glared at his sister, but he stayed silent. They had reached Mina's house and his voice box seemed to have escaped his throat. Sally, amused by her brother's nervousness, had to give him a gentle push up the steps of the porch to get him to ring the doorbell.  
  
Terry answered. She was flabbergasted to see the prince and princess on the doorstep, and Sir Sonic the hedgehog right behind them. She bowed her head, but Sally laughed a little and asked her to rise.  
  
"I . . . . We . . . . . I'm here to pick up Mina," Elias stammered out. Sonic had to run down the block for a few moments because he was laughing so hard.  
  
Terry, at a loss for words, turned inside to get her daughter. A couple of minutes later, they could hear her lecturing Mina about keeping the royal family waiting. Not too long afterwards, Mina appeared.  
  
Even Sonic was aghast to see how gorgeous Mina looked right at that moment. She was wearing a backless, sleeveless dress that was the color of the gloves she always wore and stopped just above her ankles, showing her high- heeled shoes. Her waist-length purple hair was pulled back into an elegant bun except for a couple of long strands hanging down by her ears. She also had on light blue eye shadow and was wearing very light pink lipstick. She looked like she'd gone all-out for the dance.  
  
Mina giggled a bit when she looked at the boys, turned to Sally, and said, "Princess Sally, could you be so kind as to wipe your brother's chin? I think he's drooling."  
  
This comment sent Sally roaring with laughter and snapped the guys out of their trances. Elias, who was looking quite embarrassed, gave Mina the evil eye. She got the message and came outside, closing the door behind her. Elias, who seemed to have gotten over his fear, offered Mina his arm, which she gladly took. Sonic did the same thing with Sally, and they then headed to the school.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Ah really think Ah look chubby in this dress," said Bunnie.  
  
"I assure you Mon Cheri, you look nothing of zee sort," Antoine said.  
  
He, Bunnie, Tails, and Tails's date, a girl from his class named Talina (A/n: Where could that have come from? lol) were waiting for Sonic, Sally, Elias, and Mina to arrive. They were all beyond ready to spring the plan on Mina and Elias. Even Talina, whom Tails had told the plan, was eager to help. She had a thing about playing matchmaker. That was how she'd gotten Tails to ask her to the dance.  
  
"When are they gonna get here?" Talina asked impatiently.  
  
"Knowing Sonic, they'll be here in about a minute," Tails answered. Sure enough, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, they walked into the dance. "There they are! Time for phase one!"  
  
They walked over to them casually and said hey. After some talk, plus the introduction of Talina, they spread out, leaving Elias, Mina, Bunnie, and Antoine standing by the door.  
  
A fast song began to play. Antoine asked his girlfriend to dance with him, and she accepted. Once they were on the dance floor, Bunnie asked, "Do ya think he'll take the hint?"  
  
"We can only hope so," Antoine answered.  
  
Luckily, Elias had taken the hint. "Mina, would you like to dance with me?"  
  
Mina smiled. "Why, yes Prince Elias."  
  
She took his hand and they went out onto the dance floor. There were three fast dance numbers in a row, and they danced each one. Rotor, who playing DJ (A/n: Wow. They didn't miss a trick, did they?), saw that they were feeling caught up in the music and decided to try springing a slow song on them. He did make the switch, but unfortunately, Elias and Mina decided to take a break from dancing and get a small drink. Rotor looked around for Tails and saw him giving the "wait for it" signal. (They had worked out a system of signals for this.)  
  
Sally and Sonic were over by the refreshment table too, so they decided to try and subtly give them a hint about each other's feelings.  
  
But unfortunately, as we all know, subtlety is not Sonic's strong suit.  
  
"Hiya!" Mina said breathlessly as they came over to punchbowl. "This is so much fun! I'm really glad that we came."  
  
"So am I," Elias agreed. He had completely forgotten his fear and was now thoroughly enjoying himself.  
  
"You two sure looked good together out there," Sally said.  
  
"Yeah, you looked like a real couple. Ya know, made for each other," Sonic said. Sally stamped on his foot.  
  
"Made for each other?" Mina asked, amused.  
  
"A real couple?" Elias repeated, blushing.  
  
"Heh, don't mind Sonic," Sally said quickly. "He's been saying that to Tails and Talina also."  
  
"No I haven't," Sonic blurted out. Sally stamped on his foot again.  
  
"Yeah, you did," Sally said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's (ouch) right," Sonic muttered as Sally pressed her heel onto his sore foot.  
  
"Whatever," Mina said. "Oh, listen, they've started to play another song! It's one of my favorites too! Come on Prince Elias!"  
  
"Like I've got a choice?" Elias remarked as Mina dragged him onto the dance floor again.  
  
Sally glared at Sonic. "Great work Sonic," she said sarcastically. "That was really subtle." Sonic, who was now in agony because of his foot, didn't respond.  
  
It was four hours later. Elias and Mina had been approached by each of the Freedom Fighters in turn, each of them trying to get them to hook up and none of them seeming to succeed.  
  
The dance was coming to an end. Mina was determined to dance the last song that Rotor was playing, fast or slow. (They had only danced fast numbers.) Elias, who didn't know about school dances, agreed.  
  
Rotor was about ready to give up on the plan, but when he saw Mina pull Elias onto the dance floor for the final dance, he knew that this was his last shot. He pulled out a slow song and began to play it.  
  
Elias began to get nervous again when he heard the slow song playing, but he knew that Mina wouldn't let him leave the dance floor and he wanted to dance a slow dance with her anyway, so he didn't try to escape. Mina was feeling a little nervous about the slow dance too, although she couldn't name why. But as soon as they began to dance to the song, they both relaxed. It felt so . . . right to dance together this way. They swayed slowly together on the dance floor, enjoying the song and each other. It seemed so natural that they didn't even realize that several people had moved away from them to watch them dance.  
  
On the sidelines, the Freedom Fighters were standing together in shock.  
  
"I'm seeing it, but I'm not believing it," Sonic said.  
  
"Wow! I guess that means that we actually did something right," Tails said.  
  
"Ah guess that we can call it a night," Bunnie said.  
  
She was right. It was almost midnight and the dance was over. Rotor stopped the music and Elias and Mina reluctantly pulled apart. It was then that they realized that everyone had been watching them. A couple of kids were snickering and whispering to each other and, too bad for them, Mina caught this out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM? IF YOU HAVE NO OBJECTIONS, PRINCE ELIAS AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD STOP STARING AND WHISPERING!!! CLEAR YOUR ASSES OUTTA HERE!!!!"  
  
Everyone backed off. A few people ran. Mina calmed back down and realized what she'd just done. She looked guiltily at Elias, but he looked amused at the whole thing.  
  
"Well, shall I escort you home?" he asked.  
  
"Um, sure," Mina answered, feeling heartily embarrassed. And the two walked out of the dance and headed for Mina's house.  
  
The others had seen the whole thing and were feeling a bit shell shocked at Mina's explosion.  
  
It was Talina that spoke first. "That went well." 


	10. After The Dance

"After the Dance"  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
  
  
Elias and Mina walked slowly through the dark night. Mina was still feeling embarrassed about her blowing up at everybody for no reason. Elias, however, found it to be very amusing. He thought the fact that she got mad so easily was cute. He snickered a little bit, teeing her off a bit again.  
  
"What's so funny Prince Elias?" Mina asked.  
  
"Well, it's just that, and don't get mad at me for this, I think that it's amusing whenever you get irritated," Elias said.  
  
Mina looked at Elias funny. For a minute, he thought that she was going to yell again, but instead, much to his surprise, she laughed.  
  
"Yeah, I guess that it's funny when I get mad for no real good reason," she admitted. "I can see how you'd think it was funny."  
  
After that, they stayed silent for a while, just walking along. Suddenly, Mina made a small sound, catching Elias's attention.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
Mina looked at him for a second before answering. Then she pointed and said, "That bench, right there, that's the place where we first met each other."  
  
Elias looked up. She was right. They were right near the fountain in the park and there was the bench that they'd been sitting on the night that Mina got mad at Sonic.  
  
"Wow, weird," he said. "Come on, let's get going."  
  
They kept moving. Mina looked up at the crescent moon and said, "I love the moon. It's so beautiful."  
  
"It sure is," Elias agreed. They stopped and stared up at it for a while. "Back on the Floating Island you could see it a lot clearer. I used to like to stare at it for hours when I was young."  
  
"Did you really?" Mina asked. "I did the same thing."  
  
Elias and Mina chuckled a bit and moved on. They suddenly heard a sound from behind them. They turned around and saw Geoffrey St. John standing there, though only Elias knew whom he was.  
  
"Yes Geoffrey?" he asked.  
  
"Your majesty, your parents have sent me to come get you and the princess," he said. "It's almost midnight. You should have been back at the palace."  
  
"I'm okay," Elias said, frowning a tad. "I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."  
  
"But Sire, the king and queen are worried," Geoffrey tried. "Please, if I don't bring you home . . ."  
  
"Tell them I refused to come," Elias said. "I'll be home as soon as I see Mina home."  
  
With that, they walked away from Geoffrey St. John, leaving him dumbfounded. Mina was confused too.  
  
"What was that all about?" she asked.  
  
Elias laughed. "It was a big nothing really," he said. "Geoffrey probably wasn't acting on orders from my parents. He's the former advisor I had. Remember, the one who was giving me biased advice? He's been really bitter ever since I fired him from that job. It wouldn't be the first time he's tried to ruin my casual time."  
  
"Oh, I get it," Mina giggled. "He wants to get back at you by ruining your date, the same way you ruined his chance at getting a date with Princess Sally."  
  
"Basically," Elias agreed.  
  
They had a good laugh and kept on walking. After a while, Mina asked, "Do you think we should tell the others that their lame plan was totally obvious?"  
  
"Nah," Elias said. "They were obviously giving it their all at trying to hook us up, so let's not ruin it for them."  
  
Mina laughed outright. "I keep on thinking of Sonic's face," she explained when Elias gave her a weird look, "when Princess Sally kept on stomping his foot."  
  
Elias had a laugh for that particular thought too. They continued to talk about the funny things that the Freedom Fighters had done while trying to make their plan work. They were chatting so fluidly that they didn't realize right away that they'd reached Mina's house.  
  
"Wow," Mina said. "How'd we get here do quick?"  
  
"You tell me," Elias remarked. "You're the speedster."  
  
Mina pinched his arm and they walked up the stairs. Mina opened the door and was about to go inside when, out of the blue, she turned around, came back to where Elias was standing, and kissed him full on the lips. Elias, shocked, froze.  
  
Mina giggled. "I'm sorry, I know that came out of nowhere, but I just couldn't resist anymore." She looked him in the eye. "I've been fighting down that kiss ever since you picked me up to go to the dance."  
  
Elias came out of his stupor and said, "You have? But . . . but I thought you liked Sonic."  
  
"I liked him," Mina admitted, "but for some reason, I just feel, oh, I don't know, special whenever you're around. There's something that you've got that Sonic doesn't."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You're you," Mina answered simply. "You are you, and that's all there is to it. Sonic's cool, but he's not for me and I know it. He's meant to be with your sister."  
  
"What're you saying Mina?" Elias asked, hoping that the answer would be what he thought it was.  
  
"I . . . I really care about you Elias," Mina blurted out. "I'm not one to keep secrets, so I won't try to. I really like you. In fact," she paused, "I think I'm in love with you."  
  
Elias blinked. He absolutely could not believe what he was hearing. Mina Mongoose was in love with him? He felt elated. It was his dream come true.  
  
Mina incorrectly interpreted his stare. "I didn't think you'd feel the same way," she whispered sadly. "I'm sorry Elias. Good night."  
  
She turned to go inside, but Elias grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Mina, surprised, didn't react right away, but then pulled Elias deeper into the kiss. It was a full two minutes before they separated.  
  
Elias smiled at her. "Mina, I've been in love with you ever since we met."  
  
"You have?" she asked, stunned.  
  
"Yes. Why do you think I always wanted to hang out with you?"  
  
Mina smiled and blushed. "I . . . I thought it was because you were always lonely up at the palace. I mean, you said it yourself Elias, there's only Sally up at the palace that you can talk to."  
  
Elias's smile widened. "You're calling me 'Elias.' What happened to 'Prince Elias?'"  
  
Mina grinned at him. "I can keep calling you that if you want."  
  
"I prefer casual Elias," he answered.  
  
The new couple kissed again under the moonlight. Nearby, there was a small clicking sound.  
  
"These are going to be worth gold to Sally!" Tails thought as he took more pictures.  
  
The End 


End file.
